Ramriddlz, also known to some as Mississauga’s very own Sweeterman, finally released his highly anticipated album, Sweeter Dreams, on August 17. Offering his fans a more personal and less chaotic version of himself, Ramy, who is just 23 years old, has made quite the name for himself in recent years, particularly after Drake sampled and remixing his song “Sweeterman.” Sweeter Dreams pans into Ram’s personal life, specifically regarding his love life and the heartbreak he’s been through in the past year. With tracks such as “M.D.M.B,” “Thing About Me,” “Oceans,” and “No Amore,” one wonders who the girl that broke Ram’s heart was and what he’s been through.

For those who have been following Ramriddlz’ music closely, we all know his songs are normally light-hearted and honestly, not that serious. In this album, however, Ramy shows us that he can put the corny lyrics aside and replace them with touching lyrics for what seems to be a special girl. To elaborate, in “Thing About Me,” he croons,

“But you’re my shawty, you’re my shawty, you’re my shawty, you’re my girl
Aint nobody, yeah nobody, badder than my girl”

Getting even more personal, the song ends with a recording of a female’s voice saying “I love you, Ramy.” Although this is not the first time that Ramriddlz has focused his song on a female, it’s the first time it seems to be about more than just sex. This time around, it feels as though Ramy is shifting his previous feelings of lust (that were heavily concentrated on his first and second album) into feelings of love. In addition to this, included on Sweeter Dreams is a track entitled “Wake Up,” where a figure that seems to be impersonating his mother, yells at him to wake up in Arabic: something that feels reminiscent of Ramy’s Egyptian heritage. Although the song offers a complete change up from the rest of the album, it’s these small details that make me feel as though Ramy is really trying to open up and get closer to his fans.

Now, as someone who has followed Ramriddlz and his music for quite some time now, I was somewhat shocked to be listening to such a personal and different side of Ramy. This is keeping in mind that Ramriddlz is an artist who has previously included the lyrics “Rumpapapumpum Rumbababumbum Bumbararum made me cum cum cum” in his song “Pineapple Crush” from his first EP, P2P (which stands for Pussy Too Pink). Although these lyrics may seem outlandish and bizarre to some, the carefree and inadvertent attitude that Ramriddlz’ persona extinguishes are what have garnered him so much support and so many fans. 

The reason why I say I was only somewhat surprised is because the first singles he dropped from the album were “Melanincholy” and “Habaesha,” which were already giving me soft Ram vibes. Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Ramriddlz album without the corny one-liners which are still included on the album. They can be seen in both “Melanincholy” and “Habaesha,” except instead of cringing at the lyrics, you almost find it to be endearing, though of course, not fully. 

With that being said, I’ve had Sweeter Dreams on repeat since it came out on Thursday because I’m very impressed. Ramriddlz’s ability to completely switch up and do a 180 on his fans, presenting them with a new and dare I say, matured, version of himself was genius. He kept his original flows and unique personality but gifted his fans with something worth much more: an insight to the person behind the artist. It’s clear I’m not the only one who feels this way because this past weekend, in honor of the release of Sweeter Dreams, Ramy performed at two completely sold out concerts in Toronto (and based on the Instagram stories, they were lit).

After a European tour, an album, and some home concerts, it seems 2017 is the year of Ramriddlz. With a little less than half the year remaining, I’m curious to see what the young artist has planned for the near future. 

Make sure to buy or stream his album today on iTunes or Spotify.